Electric switch



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Patented Feb. 27, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELECTRIC SWITCH New York Application March 21, 1939, Serial No. 263,163

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to electric switches, and more particularly to electric switches employing a liquid'contact circuit controller.

In a known type of liquid contact circuit controller an envelope containing a quantity of conducting liquid is provided with an insulating barrier having an opening, therein adapted successively to be immersed in and withdrawn from the conducting liquid by rotation of .the envelope. In circuit controllers of this type the force of gravity maintains the conducting liquid in the lower portion of the envelope with the surface thereof in a horizontal plane and the switching functions are accomplished by the immersion of the opening in the conducting liquid and its withdrawal therefrom.- With such a construction it is essential that the opening in the barrier move through a certain angular position or positions with respect to the horizontal in order toaccomplish the switching functions. When circuit controllers of this type are provided with an operating member secured thereto at a fixed angular position with respect to the open:

ing in the barrier and mounted in a casing so that the angle through which the circuit controller may be rotated by the operating member is limited, it becomes impossible to mount the casing in appreciably different angular positions in a vertical plane without disturbing the required relative positioning of the conducting liquid and the opening in the barrier, and it is accordingly an object of this invention to provide an improved construction for mounting and operating a controller of the above type which permits the switch casing to be mounted in any desired angular position with respect to the horizontal.

It is another object of this invention to provide a simple and inexpensive means for securing an operating member to a liquid contact circuit controller in any one of a plurality of angularly displaced positions.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds, reference being had to the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a switch embodying the present invention mounted in three different angular positions in a vertical plane; Fig. 2 is an elevational view of a switch embodying the present invention; Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 33 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is an elevational view of the circuit controller employed in the switch of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a side Referring to the drawing I have shown my 5 invention in connection with a circuit controller comprising a pair of cup-shaped metal terminals l0 which are arranged on opposite sides of a barrier H of insulating material. The edges of the terminals are sealed together and to the bar- 19 rier by a bead of glass l2 which extends circumferentially around the edge of the barrier. A quantity of conducting liquid l3, such as mercury, is contained in the substantially cylindrical envelope formed by the cup-shaped terminals and barrier. The barrier is provided with a suitable opening M, which in the closed circuit position of the controller illustrated in full lines in Fig. '7 is immersed in the conducting liquid. When the controlleris rotated about its axis to its open circuit position the opening I4 is above the level of the conducting liquid, as indicated by the dotted lines of Fig. 7. The construction and operation of the circuit controller thus-far described is disclosed with more particularity in Payne Patent No. 2,101,092, issued December 7, 1936.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, a switch casing I5, which may be formed from suitable insulating material such as a molded phenolic condensation product, is provided with a recess I6 opening on one face thereof. A pair of resilient conducting straps I'I each having a terminal portion l8 at one end are secured to the opposite ends of the casing by a suitable screw l9. The conducting 7 straps extend in spaced parallel relation and each is provided at its free end with a spherical bearing surface 20 for engaging a similarly shaped depression 2lformed in each cupshaped terminal of the circuit controller. The conducting straps I! serve to mount the circuit controller in the recessed casing for rotation about its axis and to connect electrically the terminals I8 and the terminals ID of the circuit controller. The frictional engagement between the bearing surfaces of the conducting straps and the cup shaped terminals of the circuit controller insures a good electrical connection and, at the same time, aids in positioning the controller with respect to the casing.

In Figs. 4 and 5 I have illustrated an improved arrangement for securing an operating member to a circuit controller of the above type in any one of a plurality of angularly spaced positions in accordance with the present invention.

In the embodiment illustrated a pair of apertured plates or disks 22, preferably of insulating engages a depression '33 formed in each of the metal terminals to form a driving connection therewith. An operating member which in the present construction may be stamped from sheet metal is formed with a handle portion 34 and a pair of divergently extending legs 35, each of which is provided with a notch 33 for the reception of one of the rivets 23 by which the operating member and disks are secured together. A spacing bushing or sleeve 31 is positioned on each end of one of two of the rivets between the disk 22 and the operating member to space the disks and position the operating member centrally therebetween. Each of the two rivets passes through one of the notches 36 and a pair of aligned openings in the disks 22. A spacing bushing 33 equal in length to the thickness of the handle and two of the bushings." is slipped on the remaining rivet 23 to space the insulating disks 2,2. This latter rivet preferably passes through aligned openings in the disks 22 located diametrically opposite the handle of the operating member. A boss 33 molded integrally with the casing at each end thereof extends between i the disks 22 and engages the sleeve 33 to limit the rotation of the circuit controller relative to the switch casing.

With the construction described above a liquid contact circuit closer of standard construction having means for positioning a member thereon in fixed angular relation to the circuitcontroliing opening in the barrier may be mounted in a casing having. any angular position with respect to the horizontal and the operating member shifted circumferentially with respect to the member to maintain the proper relation between the conducting liquid and the opening in the barrier. In the particular construction illustrated this may be accomplished by simply positioning the rivets or the fastening means which secure the operating member to the circuit controller in the proper openings in the disks 22. In Fig. 1a the circuit controller, the disks and operating member are assembled in the same relation as that shown in Figs. 2 to 5, inclusive. The operating member is secured to the disks by rivets passing through aligned openings 25 and 3| in the disks and the notches 36 in the operating member. With this assembled relation the opening in thebarrier is in proper operative position with respect to the conducting liquid for horizontal mounting of the switch casing. In Fig. 1b the switch is mounted on a vertical wall and in order to maintain the proper relation between the opening in the barrier and the conducting liquid, it is necessary to shift the operating member 90 degrees with respect to the insulating disks 22. This is accomplished by passing the rivets for securing the operating member to the disks through the openings 29 and 3| instead of the openings 3| and 25 as 11- lustrated in Fig. la. In Fig. 1c the switch casing is ,mountedoverhead with the recessed portion thereof opening downwardly, and in this po-- sition the operating handle is secured to the disk 22 by shifting the fastening means to the openings 21 and 23. It is apparent from the above description that with eight openings in the disk the handle may be shifted to eight different positions corresponding to eight different angular mountings of the switch casing. Any required number of openings in the disks could be provided in order to permit the switch casing to be mounted in a greater or lesser number of different angular positions.

The present invention provides a simple and inexpensive means for adapting a standard circuit controller for use in appliances and other apparatus in which .it is desired to mount the switch casing in difierent angular positions in a vertical plane and obviates the necessity of, altering the construction of the circuit controller for each application inasmuch as the same parts are used in all cases and the operating member and fastening means simply assembled in the proper position for the particular application.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In an electric switch, an envelope containing a conducting liquid including a cup-shaped terminal having a depression in one side thereof and a barrier of insulating material having a ,circuit-controlling opening therein adapted successively to be immersed in and withdrawn from said conducting liquid by rotation of said envelope, an apertured plate positioned on said terminal and having a lug projecting into said depression to secure said plate in fixed angular relation to the opening in said barrier. said plate having a plurality of angularly displaced openings formed therein, an operating member, and fastening means extending through certain of the openings in said plate for securing said opcrating member to said plate in any one of a plurality of angularly displaced positions.

2. In an electric switch, an envelope containing a conducting liquid and including a barrier having a circuit-controlling opening therein adapted successively to be immersed in and withdrawn from said conducting liquid by rotation of said envelope about its axis, anapertured plate positioned on the opposite ends of said envelope and having a driving connection therewith, said plates having a fixed angular position relative to the opening in said barrier, an

operating member positioned between said plates, and fastening means for securing said operating member to said plates in any one of a plurality of angularly displaced positions and for holding said plates assembled on said en velope.

3. In an electric switch, a casing recessed from one face thereof, an envelope containing a quantity of conducting liquid mounted in said casing for rotation about its axis from one circuitcontrolling position to another, a pair of plates secured to said envelope in spaced relation and infixed angular position relative to said envelope, said plates each having a plurality of angularly displaced openings formed therein, an .operating member positioned between said plates and secured thereto by fastening means extending through certain of said openings, additional fastening means for securing said plates on said envelope, and a boss at each end of said casing for engaging said additional fastening means to limit the rotational movement of said envelope.

4. In an electric switch, an envelope containing a conducting liquid comprising a barrier of insulating. material and a pair of cup-shaped terminals positioned on opposite sides of said barrier, said barrier having a circuit controlling opening therein adapted successively to be immersed in and withdrawn from said conducting liquid by rotation of said envelope about its axis, one of said cup-shaped terminals having a depression formed in one side thereof, an apertured disk positioned on each of said terminals, one of said disks having a lug positioned in said depression to form a driving connection between said disk and said one terminal, said disks having a plurality of circumferentially spaced aligned openings, an operating member positioned between said disks and having an opening formed therein in alignment with certain of the openings of said disks, and fastening means extending through the opening in said operating member and certain of the openings in said disks to secure said operating member to said disk and to hold said disks assembled on said terminals.

LEONARD W. COOK. 

